4 vying to be the next UN chief try to set themselves apart as race heats up

UNITED NATIONS (AP) — Four candidates vying to lead the United Nations have spent hours being grilled about their views on issues from restoring global peace to ending escalating poverty — in what the U.N. General Assembly president called one of the toughest job interviews in the world.

There was no clear victor after Chile’s Michelle Bachelet, Argentina’s Rafael Grossi, Costa Rica’s Rebeca Grynspan and Senegal’s Macky Sall fielded questions from U.N. ambassadors this past week.

Plus, other candidates could wait until after the initial auditions to jump into the race to succeed U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres on Jan. 1.

“This role matters,” said General Assembly President Annalena Baerbock, who presided over the question-and-answer sessions. “The secretary-general is not only the head of the U.N. and the world’s top diplomat — she or he also represents all 8 billion of us, defending the U.N. Charter and leading on peace, development, human rights.”

How the candidates view the UN’s work

All four said they would focus on those three pillars of the U.N., especially its founding role following World War II of ensuring international peace and security and preventing conflicts — which it has not been able to do in Iran, Gaza, Ukraine, Sudan and other global hot spots because of wide divisions. They also pledged to spur reforms to the more than 80-year-old institution.

Bachelet, 74, a two-time president of Chile and former U.N. human rights chief, told the ambassadors that the U.N. must try to avoid crises and that she has the right leadership skills.

“I stand before you to reclaim the urgent need for dialogue,” she said, stressing that the U.N. must anticipate, prevent and unite. The next secretary-general also needs to be “physically present in the field” to help tackle problems, she said.

Grossi, 65, a former Argentine diplomat who has been director-general of the International Atomic Energy Agency since 2019, said that with the world so polarized, “there are enormous, huge doubts about our institution” in solving global problems.

Unless the U.N. has effective leadership and support from all countries, it won’t regain a key place at the table, he said, “so we have to concentrate on that.” He also said the next U.N. chief must visit global hot spots.

Grynspan, 65, a former Costa Rican vice president who has been secretary-general of the U.N. trade and development agency since 2021, said she knows how to stand up for principles while under pressure. As secretary-general, she said she would “continue to be the moral voice and the impartial voice that the secretary-general has to be.”

The U.N. has become “a risk-conservative organization,” she warned. “We need to take more risks — and I am ready to fail and try again.”

Sall, 64, who was president of Senegal for 12 years, said the U.N. needs to “regain its place at the global table.”

If chosen, he said he would be “a bridge-builder” and that his first priority would be “to contribute to restoring trust, to calm tensions, reduce fragmentation and breathe renewed hope into our collective action.”

Some candidates are facing pushback

Bachelet, a medical doctor, responded to a letter from 28 Republican U.S. lawmakers calling her a “pro-abortion zealot” and asking Secretary of State Marco Rubio to veto her, saying the issue is controversial and that she respects every country’s right to decide.

She called herself a strong believer in women’s rights to decide on their own lives and how many children to have. As secretary-general, she said she would do whatever is necessary to advance agreements by U.N. member nations, including on promoting gender equality.

By tradition, the job of secretary-general rotates by region, and this year it is Latin America’s turn. Sall, the only candidate from outside the region, said the U.N. Charter doesn’t bar any candidates.

He noted that after a leader from the global north — Guterres is Portuguese — the next U.N. chief should be from the global south. Sall was also the only candidate to spark demonstrations outside U.N. headquarters — both for and against his quest to be secretary-general. Sall has been accused of corruption, which he denies.

What comes next in the race to lead the UN

The four candidates “tried to walk a political tightrope,” said Daniel Forti, the International Crisis Group’s head of U.N. affairs.

“It is not immediately obvious whether any candidate did enough to propel themselves ahead of the others, or to ward off potential challengers who might emerge later,” he said.

The selection will be left to the 15-nation U.N. Security Council, especially its five veto-wielding members — the United States, Russia, China, United Kingdom and France — that remain tight-lipped. The 193-member General Assembly must give final approval.

Minh-Thu Pham, an adviser to former U.N. chief Kofi Annan and CEO of the Starling Institute think tank, said there is a widespread desire for a secretary-general who is willing to take risks and be more active in promoting peace. The U.N. isn’t part of the conversation on major crises “because it hasn’t had the courage to take risks.”

Susana Malcorra, a former Argentine foreign minister and senior U.N. official who was a candidate for secretary-general in 2016, said the United Nations “more than ever” needs new leadership and energy.

The global advocacy group she leads, GWL Voices, has been campaigning for the next U.N. chief to be a woman.